The other victims of the superstorm

Hurricane causes influx of pets at area shelters

Nov. 17, 2012

A boxer found trying desperately to get into a house during the height of Hurricane Sandy is now housed at the Monmouth County SPCA shelter in Eatontown following the storm. / TOM SPADER/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

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EATONTOWN — As the world gets on with its business in the coming weeks, the victims of superstorm Sandy won’t be forgotten, but the focus will certainly fade.

And for those without a voice, the danger of being disregarded increases dramatically.

Indulge me for a moment while I share a few storm stories with you.

Like the one about the Englishtown veterinarian with a cat that was badly injured when a tree limb fell on her, but had no electricity.

Unable to operate, he got in touch with the Monmouth County SPCA, which brought the small gray creature to their generator-powered facility and performed surgery to fix a broken palate, stabilize a shattered rear leg and basically save her life.

Late last week, Twiggy, as they’ve named her, was about as happy as any cat I’ve ever seen as they pulled her from the cage, even though her leg was going to require amputation, which happened this week.

I love that one.

Or the boxer that local law enforcement grabbed in Keansburg after the owners evacuated and left the dog behind. As the water rose, the dog was still there, just trying to get back into its home.

I hope it gets a better home this time around.

There was a 91-year-old man who was prepared to die in his cold, dark apartment in Red Bank rather than be separated from his 10-year-old rescue dog, Terry.

When an SPCA worker who had regularly checked on the man over the years to make sure he had enough food and medicine for his companion went over a few days after the storm, the man was sick and the situation dire.

But it wasn’t until he knew Terry would be taken care of until he could return home that he agreed to be transported to Riverview Medical Center, where he remains.

Terry’s doing great.

There are legions of nameless heroes at shelters across the region. So let me put a name and a face on one of them.

Tina Thorp lost her job as a wholesale food buyer a year and a half ago and started volunteering at the SPCA in July, having adopted a dog last year. The Cliffwood Beach resident’s been part of their field team in the storm’s aftermath.

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“A couple of days after Sandy, when we were actually able to get on the roads, we’re driving down there was a woman who chased us down,” she recalled. “She couldn’t take care of her dog. She lost her house of 42 years, everything she had in it, and come to find out had breast cancer and it just came back. She was living in her car but she finally found somewhere to stay, but they had four dogs so she had to keep her dog in the car. Now one of our volunteers is fostering her dog.

“Everyone’s worried about their animals. There were people coming up to us crying because they couldn’t find their animals. One of the first houses we stopped at we saw a Rottweiler in the yard. One of our volunteers got out to talk to her and she just broke down crying. She said, ‘I didn’t know what I was going to do. I have one can of dog food left.’ ”

She’s been dropping off food and blankets to desperate pet owners in Northern Monmouth County ever since.

Here’s the kicker.

Thorp’s a Union Beach native. There are days she finds herself on the streets of her hometown, working among the destroyed homes of lifelong friends.

So let’s cut to the chase here.

The human suffering over the past few weeks has been incredible. And the animals who enhance our lives so much haven’t fared so well, either.

There’s been a storm-related influx of animals turning up at shelters, in addition to the ones already there. And there just aren’t as many people coming in looking to adopt them right now.

So as life returns to normal, whenever that is, volunteer, donate and most of all, try to find a place in your heart and your home for one of these amazing companions.